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Main Idea (1)

Total questions: 20

Worksheet time: 3600secs

Name
Class
Date
1.

Is there a hairy monster in the Pacific Northwest? Some people think so. They say it lives in the mountains. They call it "Bigfoot". No one knows for sure if Bigfoot is real. Hundreds of people say they have seen the monster, and many more claim to have seen its huge footprints. Reports state that Bigfoot looks like an ape. It doesn't run, but it walks very fast. Bigfoot is said to be a fast swimmer as well. Reports of the strange Bigfoot make the monster an interesting puzzle.


What is the main idea of the text?

a)

The Pacific Northwest is a nice place to visit.

b)

Bigfoot looks like an ape.

c)

Bigfoot is still a mystery.

d)

Bigfoot's physical features

2.

Benjamin Franklin invented many things that made life easier in the late 1700's. He invented the lightning rod that saved many homes from fires. He also invented the Franklin stove. The stove could heat a room better than a fireplace and saved people a lot of fuel. He also invented a special kind of glasses called bifocals. This new kind of glasses helped people read better.


What is the main idea of the text?

a)

Benjamin Franklin invented the lightning rod.

b)

Benjamin Franklin invented the Franklin stove.

c)

Benjamin Franklin invented the bifocals.

d)

Benjamin Franklin was a great inventor.

3.

Blood is a miracle liquid. It flows to every part of the body. Some blood cells carry food and oxygen to body organs. Other blood cells kill germs and help stop cuts from bleeding. people can die if they lose a lot of blood or their blood cells get sick. Doctors sometimes give people fresh blood to save their lives.


What is the main idea of the text?

a)

How many blood cells are made by the body

b)

Why people can die from loss of blood

c)

Why sick people are sometimes given blood

d)

How important blood is

4.

Every day Dylan loves to play basketball outside. He practices bouncing the ball in the morning. After school, Dylan shoots baskets with his friends. He even plays basketball when it's raining!


What is the main idea of the text?

a)

Dylan enjoys the rain.

b)

Dylan enjoys playing basketball.

c)

Dylan shoots baskets.

d)

Dylan bounces the basketball.

5.

Koala's fur has many uses. Their thick fur protects them from the heat and the cold. The fur is like a raincoat when it's raining. Fur on the koala's bottom is extra thick so the koalas can easily rest in trees.


What is the main idea of the text?

a)

How koalas rest in trees

b)

How fur helps koalas

c)

How koalas keep warm

d)

How koalas' fur is like a raincoat

6.

Lauren could not find her math paper. She searched all through her desk. Lauren looked in her math book and notebook. When she saw the pile of papers on the teacher's desk, she realized she already turned in her paper.


What is the main idea of the text?

a)

the papers on the teacher's desk

b)

Lauren looking in her desk

c)

Lauren's lost math paper

d)

Lauren looking through her math book and notebook

7.

Staying indoors on rainy days can be fun. My brother and I play several fun games in the morning. After lunch, I help my mom bake yummy sugar cookies. I end the day with reading a good book in bed.


What is the main idea of the text?

a)

Staying inside can be fun.

b)

Going outside is the best.

c)

Making cookies is fun.

d)

I love reading books.

8.

Sea turtles live all over the world. Some live in tropical waters while others live where it is cooler. Sea turtles can live in oceans, lagoons, and bays.


What is the main idea of the text?

a)

Sea turtles like cool water.

b)

Sea turtles usually live in oceans.

c)

You can find many sea turtles in tropical waters.

d)

Sea turtles can be found in many places.

9.

Giant pandas are losing their habitats. Giant pandas live in bamboo forests in China. The average giant panda eats about 30 pounds of bamboo each day. Unfortunately, the forests are being cut down and the giant panda is endangered.


What is the main idea of the text?

a)

Giant Pandas

b)

Giant Pandas are huge.

c)

Giant Pandas are becoming endangered because they go to zoos.

d)

Giant Pandas are becoming endangered because they're losing their habitats.

10.

Sharks have a lot of teeth. A shark may have up to 3,000 teeth at one time. Shark teeth grow in rows. When a shark loses a tooth, it is replaced by a new tooth from the row behind it. A shark may have over 20,000 teeth over the course of its life.


What is the main idea of the text?

a)

Shark have a lot of teeth.

b)

Shark teeth grow in rows.

c)

When a shark loses a tooth, it is replaced by a new tooth from the row behind it.

d)

Shark bites hurt!

11.

What does the MAIN IDEA of a story tell the reader?

a)

The most important idea about a topic or a story.

b)

The conflict of the story

12.

What is the main idea of this passage?

It was backwards day at school. The students had to do things backwards. Some wore their t-shirts backwards. Dessert was served first at lunch. They turned their papers upside down to write. They tried to write backwards.

a)

Dessert comes after lunch.

b)

The students had backwards day at school.

13.
Soccer players learn many skills when playing soccer.  Soccer players learn how to dribble and pass the ball.  They also learn how to control the ball so they can eventually score.  Most importantly, soccer players learn how to work together with their teammates.
What is the main idea?
a)
They also learn how to control the ball so they can eventually score.
b)
Soccer players learn how to dribble.
c)
They learn how to work together as teammates.
d)
Soccer players learn many skills when playing soccer.
14.
I can't wait until this weekend! We’re going to my grandparents’ house and my entire family will be there. I will spend most of my time playing games with my cousins. We always have such a good time together! The day goes by so fast, and by the end we are all exhausted... but we still don’t want to leave!
What is the main idea?
a)
Weekends are times to travel.
b)
The author enjoys spending time with her family.
c)
The author's grandparents live far away.
d)
The author is sad to leave her cousins.
15.

Weather reporters have to give out a lot of information very quickly. That's why they use pictures! The pictures help them tell us about the weather without using so many words. Weather reporters need to know where the cold air is. They need to know where the warm air is. Their reports need to be correct, but they also need to be short. The pictures help weather reporters get the information out in a fast way.


Which sentence best describes the main idea of the paragraph?

a)

Weather reporters need to know where the cold air is

b)

Pictures help weather reporters get information out fast

c)

Their reports need to be correct, but they also need to be short

d)

They have to know where it is raining and what types of clouds are in the area

16.
What is the best question to ask yourself when you are trying to find the main idea?
a)
Who is the main character?
b)
What is the main event?
c)
What is one important detail?
d)
What point is the author trying to make?
17.
There are many fun things to do at the beach.  Swimming is one thing that can be done at the beach.  Snorkeling is another thing that can be enjoyed.  Playing beach volleyball can be a lot of fun.  It is also fun to look for shells.  Some people simply like to sunbathe.
What is the main idea?
a)
There are many fun things to do at the beach.
b)
It is also fun to look for shells.
c)
Some people simply like to sunbathe.
d)
Going to the beach to swim can be fun.
18.
Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Brown are bakers.  They work at a store called Bake Goods to Go.  Mrs. Jones works nights.  She bakes cakes, cookies, and pies.  Mrs. Brown works in the daytime.  She bakes bread and rolls.  Both Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Brown are very good bakers.
What is the main idea?
a)
Mrs. Jones bakes pies.
b)
Mrs. Brown bakes rolls.
c)
Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Brown are bakers
d)
They work at a store called Bake Goods to Go.
19.
If you are feeling sad, you can make yourself feel better by doing a few simple things. You can take a walk (or get another form of exercise), you can talk to a friend, or you can write down your feelings. Writing down the good things in your life will help too. Doing something good for someone else will also help you feel better. If you still feel a little sad, act happy. It works like magic to make you feel better!
What is the main idea?
a)
Sometimes people feel sad.
b)
You should do good things for others.
c)
We're not always happy.
d)
There are many ways to make yourself feel better. 
20.
When we think of seaweed, we usually picture brown or green plants a foot or so in length.  Seaweeds are also of other colors.  Some are red.  Some kinds grow to lengths of a hundred feet!  These form giant seaweed forests, where many kinds of fish take shelter.  What is the main idea?
a)
Why some seaweed grows so large
b)
What seaweed is like
c)
Why seaweed is red